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How to flash a wake-word voice assistant onto an ESP32 with Esp32 Thinks

Flash the QuickSilver preset so the gadget answers out loud after you say Hi, ESP.

Credentials. The apply step asks for API keys and Wi-Fi details that are written into the device config, so keep the generated config private.

Who it is forA maker with a supported ESP32-S3 gadget who wants a working voice assistant without writing firmware from scratch.

The problemTurning an ESP32 board into a voice assistant normally means wiring up speech, chat and speech synthesis by hand, which takes days of firmware work.

The outcomeThe device wakes on Hi, ESP or a knob press, sends your question to the configured models, and speaks the streamed reply.

What you need first

  • A Seeed SenseCAP Watcher W1-B or another board the SDK supports
  • A Linux or macOS build host with ESP-IDF v6.0.x for esp32s3
  • Git and USB access to the device serial port
  • Wi-Fi credentials for the config step
  • API keys for the chosen provider (OpenAI, QuickSilver, or your own OpenAI-compatible server)
  • Docker or Node.js and optionally Tailscale for the openmuse agent

Steps

  1. Clone the SDK and pin it: git clone https://github.com/facebookincubator/muse-gadget-sdk.git then git -C muse-gadget-sdk checkout 812c46f
  2. Clone this repo and enter it: git clone https://github.com/raullenchai/esp32-thinks.git then cd esp32-thinks
  3. Back up the factory NVS once: ./scripts/backup-nvs.sh ../muse-gadget-sdk /dev/ttyACM1
  4. Apply the patch and pick a preset: ./apply.sh ../muse-gadget-sdk --preset quicksilver
  5. Build and flash, allowing several minutes: ./build-and-flash.sh ../muse-gadget-sdk /dev/ttyACM1

Prompt for your agent

In the esp32-thinks repo, run the quicksilver preset setup against the SDK at <sdk-path> on serial port <port>, then report whether the build and flash finished without errors. Verify that the device answers after you say Hi, ESP or press the knob.

Caveat. The README warns that the build and flash steps are paced for CH342 boards and should not be interrupted, and the port name (ACM0 or ACM1) may change on replug.

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